Most Current Playoff Scenarios

[Off The Grid]

I was thinking if they make the super bowl the NFC is the weakest they've been in a while.

Wow, really??

I believe that the consensus view ~ chuckling evilly to myself in recollection of the recent "discussion" between @supafly and @AndyJohnson ~ is that the NFC is stacked, this year, and I tend to agree. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you could make an argument that no less than 10 of the top 13 teams are in the NFC.

Mind you: This isn't your Father's pre-Salary Cap NFC.

Back in 1989 ~ at the end'f which the Miners absolutely slaughtered the Broncos ~ you could make an argument that the top 8 teams were all NFC.

The NFC's superiority back then was galactic.

 

[Off The Grid]

That's a fair concern ~ you're obviously remembering that 2010 debacle.

On a related note, I personally consider the whole "It's tough to beat a team 3 times." bit to be Urban Legend material. It's tough to beat anyone once, if you ask me, but given the choice between being the 0-2 team and the 2-0 team at a rematch, I'll take being the 2-0 team every time, thank you very much!! It'd be interesting to see the History, there...

Granted, it’s been a few years since I dug up some numbers, but divisional foes who had swept the season series 2-0 and then went on to face the same team for a third time in the postseason had won that third game about 65% of the time, so it coincides with your thinking.

Ah....Good stuff, 'mano. Thanks!!

 

[supafly]

Wow, really??

I believe that the consensus view ~ chuckling evilly to myself in recollection of the recent "discussion" between @supafly and @AndyJohnson ~ is that the NFC is stacked, this year, and I tend to agree. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you could make an argument that no less than 10 of the top 13 teams are in the NFC.

Mind you: This isn't your Father's pre-Salary Cap NFC.

Back in 1989 ~ at the end'f which the Miners absolutely slaughtered the Broncos ~ you could make an argument that the top 8 teams were all NFC.

The NFC's superiority back then was galactic.

My argument was simply that he wasn’t giving Wentz his due as an MVP candidate, and I believe that Wentz was just as much of a 50/50 candidate as Brady was. That thinking was due to several different factors, one being that Wentz had more TDs on the team with the NFL’s leading record. I don’t know when the last time that the leading scorer on the leading (record) team didn’t win the MVP was (if ever), but it doesn’t happen often—and that’s putting it mildly. Another reason was due to the obvious media bias in preferring to give it to a “non-Brady” player, which he does not believe in. It doesn’t seem as though we need to debate this any longer due to the injuries of both Wentz and Brown.

In terms of which conference is tougher, I don’t believe that we ever got that far, but my humble opinion is that the AFC is much more top heavy and that the NFC is a deeper conference seeds 1-6, overall. Hopefully, in the end it doesn’t make any difference.

 

[Off The Grid]

In terms of which conference is tougher, I don’t believe that we ever got that far, but my humble opinion is that the AFC is much more top heavy and that the NFC is a deeper conference seeds 1-6, overall.

That's a really good way to put it.

 

[jah]

3-0 since the start of 2013 and I expect it to be 4-0 should we face them in these playoffs. I don’t worry about what teams did or didn’t do to us 5 years ago, including the Giants and Ravens.

Well except for one thing. If we beat them hopefully Brady learned his lesson and keeps his mouth zipped this time. He got burned by that twice already so let’s not make it 3.

I can't recall what you're referring to about Brady talking after beating the Ravens. I know he sure got burned by a certain pre-SB42 quip...

 

[jah]

Really?? The Ravens have been the obvious favorite for the #6 Seed for a long time, now...In fact, I almost started a thread about 6 weeks ago about the likelihood of our drawing them in the Divisional Round...Of course, that was before the Jaguars started looking ~ to me, anyway ~ like a far more likely Round 1 Victor.

It's the black and white mentality on this board. You're only allowed to have 2 opinions on a team: they're the best, or they absolutely suck. Until it became very clear the Ravens were going to make the playoffs, the only acceptable opinion to share about them here was that "they're more likely to lose out than make the playoffs."

I'd go into the thread and quote people but that's not my style. I will, however, say that one of the posters who was dead wrong about Baltimore IS notorious for calling people out via quoting their old takes.

 

[Off The Grid]

If we beat them hopefully Brady learned his lesson and keeps his mouth zipped this time. He got burned by that twice already so let’s not make it 3.

I can't recall what you're referring to about Brady talking after beating the Ravens. I know he sure got burned by a certain pre-SB42 quip...

Thanks for quoting that. I'd meant to asks sb1 what he's talking about.

 

[Off The Grid]

It's the black and white mentality on this board. You're only allowed to have 2 opinions on a team: they're the best, or they absolutely suck. Until it became very clear the Ravens were going to make the playoffs, the only acceptable opinion to share about them here was that "they're more likely to lose out than make the playoffs."

I'd go into the thread and quote people but that's not my style. I will, however, say that one of the posters who was dead wrong about Baltimore IS notorious for calling people out via quoting their old takes.

That's classy, and I gotta respect that...But hopefully it is somebody else's style.

 

[1960Pats]

And yet they are 8-6. Unlike that Jets team they are very well coached. They appear to be mentally tough. I still don’t want to see them. Division rivals are usually undesireable opponents in the playoffs.

The Bills blew it when they benched their QB when they were the front runner for a WC spot (with a shot at the AFCE). The two losses that followed has allowed the Ravens to take their place.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Edelman pass to Amendola still might be my favorite play of the past four years.

That's definitely in my top 5 Pats plays of all time - in part because it was a great play and in part because of the situation where it was run. Just a great play!

 

[PatsBoy12]

What about Jacksonville? They scare me more than Baltimore does (though neither a whole lot).

Yeah, I hear you, Helmet. I don't really ever overlook any team. Me saying I would hate to see BMore come to Gillette doesn't mean there aren't other teams that I fear would give the Patriots a battle. I never said that, yet it seems that's how my post is being interpreted by some. My only point was and is that Baltimore, more than any of the other 30 teams, has shown in the past that they not only aren't in awe of the Gillette mystique, but they CAN come in to Gillette and win. Ironically, the people who are seemingly saying what happened in the past doesn't matter are the same ones pointing out how NE hasn't lost to the Ravens in five years. Isn't that the past too? LOL I think for me it's also the fact that NE is extremely flawed this season, if only for the fact that they're so banged up at almost every position on the team except the secondary. Anyway, it's the playoffs and anything can happen in a one-game tourney. One freaky bounce and a season can end.

With all that said, I'd actually rather face a team without that championship pedigree and mentality over an organization that's been there, done that. JAX is playing extremely well and that D looks really good. But they're a young team with zero pedigree really and they'd have to come into Gillette and play an undoubtedly close game that may come down to late in the fourth quarter scenarios. I'll take NE all day in that scenario. We've seen more experienced teams and coaches blunder in those situations. Bortles is still not someone that I'm taking super seriously at this time. I think BB/Matty P could scheme him up, even with a banged up D. The dude was benched earlier THIS season. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility for him to revert to that Bortles at any time. He's just on a nice little run right now. But again, any given Sunday . . . any team could pull it off if they do things right and the Pats don't show up to play.

 

[PatsBoy12]

The Ravens went 2-4 down the stretch in 2012 and won the Super Bowl. The 2010 Packers were similar. The whole "you gotta be playing your best football in December" is overrated. It's all about how healthy you are for the playoffs.

This! I've said since 2014 and every year since that injuries (and bad OL play) are really what can stop the Patriots. This season the injuries have been plentiful. That's really mainly what has me concerned going into the playoffs, especially at LB. The play there has been atrocious at worst and mediocre at best. That's probably my biggest worry besides simply the injuries. KVN should bolster that group. I also hope Branch is ready to go by the divisional game.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Why? Ravens last beat the Patriots 5 years ago, and have made the playoffs once since.

Because none of that really matters in a one-game scenario, I suppose.

 

[sb1]

Thanks for quoting that. I'd meant to asks sb1 what he's talking about.

“Maybe they should read the rulebook!”

“17 points? That’s it? Haha”

The first one was accurate and the second one understandable but they shouldn’t have been said out loud.

 

[1960Pats]

Combined record of the 8 teams the Bills have beaten: 46-66

I took 7 NFL Power Rankings for each team, threw out the high and the low and ranked the teams from 1-32. I then averaged out each team's schedule and came up with my version of their Strength of Schedule.

The only thing I didn't do was adjust the rankings for the entire season. For instance, the Falcons were rated 2nd at the beginning of the season, went as high as 13th and now are at 9. I'll probably adjust that at the end of the regular season.

Anyway, these are the top ten and bottom ten teams for SOS.

1 - Chicago - 12.43
2 -NY Giants - 12.71
3 - Washington - 12.79
4 - Atlanta - 13.86
5 - LA Chargers - 14.50
6 - Minnesota - 14.64
7 - Dallas - 15.14
8 - New Orleans - 15.21
9 - Detroit - 15.57
10 - Seattle - 15.64

T23 - Cincinnati - 17.36
T23 - NY Jets - 17.36
25 - Carolina - 17.64
T26 - Buffalo - 18.00
T26 - Pittsburgh - 18.00
28 - Baltimore - 18.07
29 - San Francisco - 18.14
30 - Indianapolis - 19.50
31 - Jacksonville - 20.00
32 - Tennessee - 21.14

 

[1960Pats]

Hmmmmm... maybe the NFC is just more competitive this year?

Earlier in the season I took a look at the AFC vs NFC games and I thought that the NFC would have a big edge this year. I remember thinking that the NFC could win 40 of the 64 games. Right now they're up 36-22 with 6 games being played this week;
Det@Cin, Cle@Chi, Den@Was, Rams@Ten, Jac@SF and Oak@Phi

 

[RobertWeathers]

Wow, really??

I believe that the consensus view ~ chuckling evilly to myself in recollection of the recent "discussion" between @supafly and @AndyJohnson ~ is that the NFC is stacked, this year, and I tend to agree. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you could make an argument that no less than 10 of the top 13 teams are in the NFC.

Mind you: This isn't your Father's pre-Salary Cap NFC.

Back in 1989 ~ at the end'f which the Miners absolutely slaughtered the Broncos ~ you could make an argument that the top 8 teams were all NFC.

The NFC's superiority back then was galactic.

From 1984 to 1997 the NFC won the SB EVERY YEAR.

If you were an AFC team, it was hopelessness in the SB.

The level of competition in the conference and physicality just wasn't there in the AFC and we're not prepared for teams like SF, Wash, CHI, NYG and DAL.

I think Bill knew this which is why he built the NEP the way he did.

 

[maineman209]

Yeah, that was absolutely awesome.

I've always been kind'f disappointed that Edelman ~ a certified WiseAss ~ didn't get in front of a microphone and chirp about the QuarterBack Controversy.

Hey, why not? His Passer Rating's gotta be amazing.

Right up there with Slater's yards-per-catch and Vrabel's red zone TD percentage.

 

[1960Pats]

Wow, really??

I believe that the consensus view ~ chuckling evilly to myself in recollection of the recent "discussion" between @supafly and @AndyJohnson ~ is that the NFC is stacked, this year, and I tend to agree. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you could make an argument that no less than 10 of the top 13 teams are in the NFC.

Mind you: This isn't your Father's pre-Salary Cap NFC.

Back in 1989 ~ at the end'f which the Miners absolutely slaughtered the Broncos ~ you could make an argument that the top 8 teams were all NFC.

The NFC's superiority back then was galactic.

The AFC has kicked ass overall but this year isn't looking very good. The only place the AFC is trailing is for SB wins, but they only trail by one in spite of an 0-13 run in the 80's and 90's.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

That's a really good way to put it.

That was the point I was trying to make, there's no Seattle or Atlanta that's above everyone.